Posted on 04/28/2014 4:12:07 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Stilwell told Merrill that he knew he was calling on the men for more effort than could fairly be expected but that he had no other option. Once the airstrip was taken he authorized Merrill to begin evacuating the Marauders “without further order if everything worked out as expected.” The task force of 1,400 Americans, 4,000 Chinese and 600 Kachin Rangers moved out on April 28. At the same time, as if released by invisible reins, Sun and Liao moved forward in a renewed drive on Kamaing. Perhaps encouraged by the British relief of Kohima on April 20, Chiang Kai-shek had presumably given permission.
Barbara W. Tuchman, Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45
On 23 April the 127th Infantry (less 1st Battalion and Companies F and G), the 126th Field Artillery Battalion, and other elements of the 127th RCT were put ashore. Companies F and G captured two of the offshore islands with little difficulty early the same morning, and Company G occupied a third two days later. The 1st Battalion was landed in the beachhead, joining the rest of the regiment there on the 26th.
The 127th Infantry now relieved the elements of the 163rd on the east flank of the beachhead and also south of the airfield. Patrols pushed east as far as the Diniumor (on some maps Drinumor) River and also some six miles inland. On the 28th, Company C, 127th Infantry, with a detachment of Company D, was moved by boat about twenty miles east along the coast to form an outpost against any major enemy move westward from Wewak. This small force, operating from the small coastal village of Nyaparake, sent out patrols and they met little opposition.
Major General H.W. Blakeley, USA, Ret., The 32d Infantry Division in World War II
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/apr44/28apr44.htm#
Japanese resisting near Aitape
Friday, April 28, 1944 www.onwar.com
In New Guinea... American and Japanese forces, moving west from Wewak, engage near Aitape.
In the United States... The Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, dies.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/thismonth/28.htm
April 28th, 1944 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Shortly after midnight nine German motor torpedo boats attack a convoy of eight U.S. tank landing ships (LSTs) entering Lyme Bay, Dorset during manoeuvres for the Normandy invasion, near Slapton Sands.
Drawn in by heavier than normal radio traffic, they suddenly found themselves caught up in the midst of Operation TIGER — one of several amphibious exercises secretly being conducted by the Allies in preparation for the Normandy Landing.
In minutes the German torpedoes hit their mark. One LST (landing ship, tank) was seriously crippled. Another burst into flames trapping many of the victims below deck. And a third sank immediately, sending hundreds of U.S. soldiers and sailors to a watery grave.
At 2145 on 27 Apr, convoy T-45 left Plymouth for Lyme Bay. The close escort was limited to one Flower-class corvette, HMS Azalea, which was stationed one mile ahead of a column of five LSTs (Landing Ships, Tank). Three more LSTs from Brixham joined the convoy. A fourth LST failed to make the rendezvous and returned to base. Once west of Tor Bay, the convoy manoeuvred in the Channel before making its final approach to Slapton Sands. One destroyer, the old Admiralty S-class HMS Saladin, was stationed to the south of the convoy as a screening force. In addition, three RN MTBs patrolled off Cherbourg as a blocking force to intercept a potential patrol by German E-boats. Alerted by increased Allied radio traffic, the German 5th and 9th Schnellboote Flotillas, comprising six and three boats, respectively, sortied from Cherbourg at 22:00 on 27 Apr. The German force managed to evade the British MTBs. Once clear of the British patrol, they travelled at 36 knots under strict radio silence. Shortly after midnight, nine German torpedo boats moved into Lyme Bay. Attacking in pairs, the E-boats burst past the escorts and attacked the landing ships. LSTs 507 and 531 were sunk with the loss of 202 and 424 men, respectively. LST 289 was damaged, resulting in the loss of 13 men. LST 511 was hit by fire from LST 496, resulting in 18 wounded. The German force did not suffer any losses.
It was the costliest training exercise in all of World War II.
As the bodies washed ashore in days ahead, the official count rose to 749.
Lieutenant-General Bradley, unaware of the huge loss of American lives, summarily relieved the brigade commander when the exercise fell behind schedule. A number of ‘lessons’ were learned and post-event recommendations included: using more capable and numerous escort forces; having rescue craft for any landing operation; disseminating quickly enemy contacts reports; introducing standard radio procedures, special circuits, and radio frequencies; reinforcing instructions to avoid looking directly at flares or fires to preserve night vision; limiting the amount of fuel carried in landing ships to that needed for the operation itself to reduce risk of fire; making small arms available to fire on E-boats when main guns cannot depress sufficiently; making life boats and life rafts as ready for lowering as possible; issuing illumination rockets to all large ships; improving fire fighting equipment, including manually operated pumps; providing training in the use of the ‘kapok’ life jacket and making them the preferred life preserver over the CO2 type; ordering boot laces be loosened when preparing to abandon ship to make it easier to remove them in the water. (Dave Shirlaw, Jack McKillop and Sivliu G)
Submarine HMS Aenas laid down.
Minesweeper HMS Foam commissioned.
Submarine HMS Spark commissioned.
(Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-883 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ARCTIC OCEAN: Frigates HMCS Cape Breton, Outremont, Grou and Waskesiu departed Kola Inlet with Convoy RA-59 for Loch Ewe; arriving safely at Loch Ewe on 09 May 44. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.S.R.: Stavka, the highest Soviet military command, decides that the fourth strategic strike of the year shall be directed against Finns to eliminate the threat to the security of Leningrad. For that purpose the Leningrad Front is reinforced by the 21st Army from the high command reserve. (Mikko Härmeinen)
CHINA: US aircraft bomb bridges on the Yellow River to hamper Japan’s advance.
BURMA: Allied and Chinese soldiers push through the Mogaung valley towards Myitkyina.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Japanese submarine I-183 is sunk by USS Pogy (SS-266) off Japan. (Mike Yared)(144 and 145)
CANADA: HM LST 3518, 3519, 3520, 3521, 3522, 3523, 3524, 3525, 3526, 3527, 3528, 3529, 3530, 3531, 3532, 3533, 3534, 3535 ordered.
Frigate HMCS Buckingham launched Lauzon, Province of Quebec.
Frigate HMCS Charlottetown commissioned.
(Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: US Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox dies of a heart attack. He is the top civilian in the naval chain of command.
Submarine USS Tirante laid down.
Escort carrier USS Hollandia launched.
Destroyer escorts USS Samuel B Roberts and Daniel A Joy commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
“Hungarians in Peace Riot.”
Mixed messaging.
This is a very interesting story.
I’m looking for more information about Mr. Devries. So far I’ve found a Marine Lt. Marvin H. DeVries who won the Navy Cross in Vietnam. In spite of the name, Lt. Devries cannot be the son of Petty Officer Devries.
There’s also a mention of this gentleman in “They Were Expendable.”
It was an amazing time to be in America. Our wartime production capacity were reaching their peak levels and immense amounts of U.S. made materials were being shipped all over the globe.
Let our war crimes begin!
I’ve been following the stories of the cross channel air raids for a few weeks now. According to the press accounts, we are pasting the Pas de Calais area and the transportation net leading to it from Germany and through Belgium. The map published today really reveals that.
No mention of bombing any targets farther west, say, in the Le Havre-Cherbourg coastal area.
"Hermann Göring had been among the most influential figures in Nazi Germany, but by 1944 he was hopelessly addicted to heroin and his influence was on the decline.
He had also ballooned to over 300 pounds.
Hitler, who blamed Göring for the war turning against Germany, often refused to even meet with him.
Most of his earlier clout had been lost to Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, and Martin Bormann."
Did I miss it, or did somebody post this already?
The picture below shows troops going ashore at Aitape, New Guinea on April 22.
MacArthur sent a powerful force, nearly three divisions to secure Aitape, and they soon set up a strong perimeter...
One of those divisions is Homer Sr's 32nd ID, which is being sent 20 miles to the east of Aitape, to guard the Driniumor River.
And already, intelligence reports are saying trouble is brewing.
Somebody needs to warn those people...
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“I’ve been following the stories of the cross channel air raids for a few weeks now. According to the press accounts, we are pasting the Pas de Calais area and the transportation net leading to it from Germany and through Belgium”
That’s because we’re going to invade at Pas de Calias. :-)
Serial Number = 2233318 http://www.west-point.org/family/japanese-pow/MTB-3.htm
Was awarded a silver starhttp://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/CloseQuarters/PT-C.html
Appears to have been from Passaic, NJ.
May have gone to college under GI bill and received a degree (Jan 1951) in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/54209038/
He may still be alive but his wife appears to have died in 2012 http://www.colonialchapel.com/book-of-memories/1145298/DeVries-Mildred-S-Millie/obituary.php
Thanks!
And General Patton will lead the troops ashore. Everyone knows that!
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